Makoto Yawata
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Title: The conjunctiva as a site for investigation of human mucosal immunology in situ elucidating the mechanisms of immune escape in adenovirus induced epidemic keratoconjunctivitis
Biography
Biography: Makoto Yawata
Abstract
Amongst the various mucosal surfaces in the human body, the ocular surface is unique in that the tissues are exposed to the eternal environment and is readily accessible with minimally invasive means. Although the conjunctiva is a mucosal surface that is a site prone to infections, the immune systems operating within the conjunctiva are yet vastly underexplored. Here we describe the mechanisms of an innate immune response against adenovirus infection, where members of the group D family of viruses are specifically known to trigger a severe form of inflammation: epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). In our ongoing study of the innate immune responses in clinical cases of EKC, we have been able to monitor the dynamic changes in natural killer cell phenotypes and function over the course of virus infection. To our knowledge, this is one of the unique instances where such immune monitoring has been possible over the course of infection at a human mucosal surface. Based on the clinical observations, we have verified through in vitro experimentation the mechanisms by which group D adenoviruses but not other adenovirus types specifically act on epidermal cells to subvert NK cell responses as a form of immune escape. This study is a demonstration as to how the conjunctiva can be viewed as one promising site for human mucosal research in situ.
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